Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
“We talked about this,” she said. “You couldn’t keep putting your life on hold for other people. And this is my fourth pregnancy! It was all supposed to be perfectly routine. Brad was supposed to be here, and the baby wasn’t supposed to be early. Now stop feeling guilty, damn it!”
“Okay.” I still felt guilty as hell, though.
She took a few deep breaths, but then she started crying again and wailed, “I think Brad is having an affair!”
“Holy shit! Why did you wait until now to tell me?”
“I’d been trying to ignore the signs, because I didn’t want it to be true. But he’s been up to all sorts of questionable shit lately, like this supposed training class in Seattle. Plus, he’s been going out on these alleged late-night service calls. Can’t a busted A/C wait until morning?”
I growled, “I swear, if he’s cheating on you I’m going to drive back to Idaho and run him over with my van. Then I’m going to throw it in reverse and run him over again.”
Jeannie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and muttered, “He’s not worth the jail time.”
“Honey, what are you going to do?”
She straightened her posture and raised her chin. “First, I’m going to have this baby. Then I’m going to make Brad tell me the truth about what the hell he’s been up to. If he’s been cheating, I’m kicking him out on his ass.”
“You’re the strongest person I know, Jean-Jeannie,” I told her. “Whatever happens, you’re going to be okay.”
“I know I am.”
A few moments later she screamed again, and the camera flailed wildly as she doubled over. I briefly caught a glimpse of Dwight, who looked more than a little concerned.
Miller held up his phone, showing me the timer on his screen as he said, “The contractions are three minutes apart.”
“I’m so mad at Brad right now,” I snapped. “He should be there! You shouldn’t have to go through this alone, Jeannie.”
“She’s not alone,” Dwight chimed in, before telling Jeannie, “I’ll go in with you and hold your hand if you want me to. I’ll sit up by your head, so I can’t see… well, you know. And I promise I’ll stay with you as long as you want me to.”
She asked, “Would you really do that?”
“Of course.”
They smiled at each other, and Miller said, “Dwight saves the day.”
“I’d better go,” Jeannie told me. “I can see the city limits up ahead, so we’ll be at the hospital in a couple of minutes. I’ll check in as soon as I can, Collie. I love you.”
“I love you too, Jeannie. You’ve got this!”
“Yeah, I do.”
I’d been pacing back and forth, and once the call ended, I took a seat and hugged a throw pillow to my chest. Miller sat down beside me and asked, “Does Jeannie have any relatives nearby?”
“Just her husband’s family. Her dad got transferred two years after we graduated from high school, so her parents and younger sister moved to New Mexico.”
After a pause, he asked, “Do you think Brad is really cheating on her?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. I wish I knew for sure, though.” I remembered something just then and told him, “You should be getting ready for your meeting. You don’t want to be late.”
“Maybe I should postpone it, so I can stay with you while you wait to hear back from Jeannie.”
“That’s sweet, but you worked really hard on that presentation, and you and I are both dying to hear what your team thinks about the new concept. Besides, you’ll be back in a couple of hours. She’ll probably still be in labor.”
“Well, if you’re sure…”
“I am.”
He hesitated, but then he said, “Okay,” and went to get ready.
When Miller joined me in the kitchen, where I’d resumed my pacing, he’d changed into a nice pair of jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt. As he rolled back his sleeves, he asked me again, “Are you sure you’re going to be okay on your own?”
“I’ll be fine. Please don’t worry about me.”
“Alright. I’ll see you soon.”
I called, “Good luck,” as he headed down the stairs. Then I took a seat at the kitchen island and stared at my phone. I knew it was going to be a while before I heard from Jeannie. I just really wished I could do something for her in the meantime.
A few moments later, the cat jumped up onto the island and stared at me. I told her, “We need to know for sure if Brad’s having an affair. If he is, Jeannie’s never going to forgive him.”
Just then, I had an idea. I did a quick internet search and found the number for Brad’s employer. The company was owned by a man named Hank “The Tank” Turkowski. He and Brad were two of a kind—big, burly meatheads who were still clinging to their glory days as former high school football stars.